Quantitative Methods for Anthropology
Objectives
The major goals are to equip students with basic statistical literacy, focusing the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative approaches; to debate the topic big data vs thick data with the ethical issues involved, questioning how big data can be relevant to understand the role social media play in addressing research questions.
Students will also engage with hands-on use of statistical software and application of methods to conduct a microproject on the statistical analysis of a quantitative anthropological data set, generated by a local survey about university students lifestyles. Students will be able to:
LO1 Apply common statistical tests to analyze anthropological data sets.
LO2 Critically examine the use of statistical analyzes in anthropological arguments and published articles.
LO3 Build data sets appropriate to statistical analysis to address anthropological research questions
LO4 Write a scientific report, retrieving the results of an applied statistical study
General characterization
Code
01105713
Credits
6.0
Responsible teacher
Ana Isabel Neto Antunes Afonso
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - 168
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
N/A
Bibliography
- Bernard, H. R., 2017. Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
- Madrigal, L., 2012. Statistics for Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Lecompte, M. D. & J. Schensul, 1999. Designing & Conducting Ethnographic Research. Walnut Creek, London, New Delhi: AltaMira Press.
- Reis, Elizabeth, 2008. Estatística Descritiva. Lisboa: Editora SILABO.
- Wang, T., 2013. "Big data needs thick data". Ethnography Matters, 13
Teaching method
Time in class (2x1h45mn) will be divided between instruction and practice during the week. 1st time will be a mix of
theory and practice; 2nd time will focus on learning computer-based data analysis with Excel in the computer Lab.
(1) Lectures introducing the student to the topics delivered;
(2) In class training and consolidation of the learning process - individual or small group exercises starting from a
research example of the use of a particular statistical test, followed by quantitative data analysis and interpretation;
(3) Computer Lab sessions;
(4) Mentoring undergraduates in writing the final paper project.
PERIODIC EVALUATION
- test I (5th week) + test II (10th week)
- Final paper project reporting the results of a statistical study about life conditions of portuguese undergraduates
(processing of rough data stored in an Excel file, with data sets from 2008 (anthropology and science po students).
- PowerPoint oral presentation [10']
Evaluation method
Continuous assessment - test I (5th week); test II (10th week); Final paper project reporting the results of a statistical study about life conditions of portuguese undergraduates (processing of rough data stored in an Excel file, with data sets from 2008 (anthropology and science po students); PowerPoint oral presentation [10'](100%)
Subject matter
I. Introduction to Statistics: basic concepts
a.Statistics and scientific inquiry (validity and reliability);
b.Descriptive and inferential statistics (population, parameters, sampling)
c.Quantitative and qualitative methods; variables and constants; independent and dependent variables; control and
experimental groups; scales of measurement and variables;
II. Data accessability in the 21st Century
a.Primary data, secondary data;
b.Internacional Data Base;
c.Big data and Social Media;
III. Data organization: descriptive statistics
a.Graphs and frequency distributions
b.Frequency comparison - proportion; percentage; ratio; tax; variation tax;
c.Measures of central tendency and dispersion;
d.Contingency Tables and qui square test;
IV. Analysis of variance, correlation and regression;